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The Calgary Stampede Park will soon be full of hundreds of thousands of fairgoers for the 10-day party that begins Friday, but the grounds will hardly go quiet once the show is over.

From the Cirque du Soleil to the Global Petroleum Show, the 65 hectares of land just on the edge of downtown Calgary hosts about 1,800 events annually, said Warren Connell, CEO of the Calgary Stampede.

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READ MORE: Calgary’s iconic King Eddy set to host live music during Stampede 2016

“It’s really not about the 10 days,” he said.

“The 10 days are important. They’re critical to the city, to southern Alberta, obviously to us. But it is a year-round operation.”

Plans are underway to make it even more of a year-round space so that Calgary can attract large conferences and boost the economy outside of oil and gas.

Watch below: With the recent economic slump, the Calgary Stampede and many other industries are nervous, but hopeful people will come. Global’s Reid Fiest reports.

The non-profit Calgary Stampede organization opened the $61-million Agrium Western Event Centre, a 150,000-square foot space, in 2014. In June, it finished a two-year project to revitalize the 6.5-hectare Enmax Park and started work on the 10,000-square foot TransAlta Performing Arts Studios.

But the biggest project is yet to come, with plans to double the size of the BMO convention space, which at 265,000 square feet is already the biggest venue in the city.

READ MORE: Calgary Stampede unveils 2016 Coca-Cola Stage lineup

Connell said the development will cost about $500 million, and while he has not made any formal requests for public assistance, he’s been engaged with all three about the project.

The expanded space would allow the city to host conferences like Rotary International, and compete with the major Canadian hubs of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, said Connell. He said the expansion would create 500 full-time jobs, plus construction jobs.

Adam Legge, CEO of the Calgary Chamber, supports the project and year-round strategy.

“I applaud the Stampede for trying to make it more of a 365-type destination,” said Legge.

“There’s a lot of under-utilized property in the Stampede-Victoria Park area and I think it’s really critical that they continue to try and build out their development plan to make it more of a destination, make it more lively and active.”

READ MORE: Calgary Stampede 2016 complete concert listing

Calgary Tourism also says the convention space is needed.

“I actually think it’s critically important to our city to move into what we’ll call ‘A’ convention space as an economic driver,” said Cindy Ady, CEO of Calgary Tourism.

“We would be taking all the assets that we have that come from the Stampede — their ability to host, to put on great shows, that warm western hospitality welcome, and add those to a nice business mix of conference and convention space. We think that’s a nice magic little spot to be.”

BAGHDAD – As the death toll from the weekend truck bombing in Baghdad climbed to 157, Iraq’s embattled prime minister ordered new security measures, including abandoning the use of bomb-detection wands that U.S. experts pronounced worthless years ago.

But security forces were still using the devices Monday evening, as a string of smaller bombings in the capital killed 16 people and wounded dozens more.

Sunday’s suicide attack by the Islamic State group was the single deadliest bombing to hit Baghdad in more than a decade of war and insurgency.

Also Monday, five convicted terrorists were executed in Baghdad, the Ministry of Justice said in an announcement that appeared aimed at restoring faith in Iraq’s security forces in the wake of the devastating attack.

WATCH: Aftermath of Baghdad blast which killed dozens

Firefighters and medical teams were still uncovering bodies from the city’s Karada neighbourhood Monday morning. Officials said a dozen people were missing and at least 60 of the dead were women and children. At least 190 people were wounded.

The blast struck after midnight when the neighbourhood was bustling with people breaking their daylight fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The attack demonstrated the Islamic State’s ability to strike the capital despite a string of defeats on the battlefield, including the loss of Fallujah just over a week ago.

READ MORE: Iraqi special forces enter centre of IS-held Fallujah

With public anger mounting, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered new security measures Sunday evening, including increased aerial scanning and intelligence-gathering in the capital and the installation of X-ray systems at the entrances of provinces.

He also ordered security forces to stop using a handheld electronic device that was widely sold as a bomb detector but has been repeatedly branded bogus by technical experts. And he ordered the reopening of an investigation into the purchase of the ADE 651s, which cost the Iraqi government tens of thousands of dollars each.

In 2010, British authorities arrested the director of the British manufacturer, ATSC Ltd., on fraud charges, prompting Iraqis to open their own investigation. Iraqi authorities made some arrests, but the device remained in use.

On Monday evening, Associated Press reporters saw a number of the devices still being used at checkpoints around the capital as another round of blasts erupted.

Many Iraqis blame their political leadership for the way large amounts of explosives have made it past multiple checkpoints into crowded neighbourhoods with disastrous results.

Small-scale bombings occur on a near-daily basis in Baghdad, and in May a string of large-scale bombings, many of them claimed by IS, killed more than 200 people in a single week.

In February, Amnesty International reported that the number of Iraqis sentenced to death in 2016 was close to 100, calling the figure a “grim indicator of the current state of justice in the country.”

Later Monday, about 10 rockets struck a refugee camp for Iranian exiles next to Baghdad’s international airport, according to a Baghdad police official. The attack killed three Iraqi policemen and wounded 13 others, according to a hospital official.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information to the media.

The colourful spots of the Poco Dots Child Care Centre van have become a staple in Port Coquitlam.

Vandals, however, saw it as an easy target over the weekend.

“When I pulled in I was surprised to see that our van and our daycare had been hit so hard with graffiti,” said manager Dave Larocque.

Offensive, racist and homophobic messages and symbols were scrawled across the non-profit child care centre on Fernwood Avenue. Next door, the British Columbia Christian Academy and several passenger vehicles were also tagged.

Larocque said he immediately called police on Saturday morning, who told him they were looking into the incident as a hate crime.

“Everyone is horrified,” he said. “Not just by the damage that’s occurred but again by the messages.”

Risa McLaughlin, who sends her daughter to the daycare, said this level of hatred and disrespect is tough to explain to children.

“She’s just learning to read. She’s able to sound out those terrible words on there,” she said.

The toughest blow for Poco Dots’ bottom line is the damage to its van. The value of the vehicle is likely less than the cost of a new paint job, leaving the replacement cost through insurance insufficient to purchase a similar van.

“We don’t have the money to replace vehicles and paint jobs and it’s caused a lot of stress,” said McLaughlin.

Armed with anti-graffiti solution and rags, many of the parents who benefit from the affordable childcare decided to spend their Sunday cleaning up the mess. Trying to teach their children a more positive lesson in community, the group also scraped away the markings from the Christian Academy vehicles as well.

Larocque said he’s thankful for everyone’s help, but hopes the vandals truly understand the impact of their actions.

Last year saw companies cut back on the extravagance around Stampede, due to financial constraints, not to mention the poor optics of celebrating while people were being laid off.

Now more than two years after oil prices started plummeting, the cuts have gone deeper.

After going ahead with big bashes last year, Peters & Co. Ltd. cancelled its Firewater Friday and FirstEnergy Capital Corp. cut its FirstRowdy event, ending decades-long runs for two of the biggest parties in town.

READ MORE: Stampede bars say corporate spending down at least 35%

For the Stampede itself there have been cutbacks too, with the province slashing $2 million from its operating grant to the non-profit organization. That forced Connell to cut 54 full-time positions last fall, plus further reductions on the part-time staff that help run the grounds year-round, he said.

The Stampede, which kicks off Friday, has already lost more revenue this year. The annual auction to sell ad space on chuckwagon canvases pulled in $2.3 million, $480,000 less than last year and well off the more than $4 million it brought in a few years ago.

To adapt to lower spending from the energy sector, the Stampede has looked for sponsorships in other industries, like a partnership with McDonald’s promoting beef sustainability.

“We had corporate hits in the energy world, and we were very fortunate and lucky that we were able to form partnerships that were really not economy-driven,” said Connell.

All over the city, businesses are adjusting to fewer corporate dollars and hoping for a boost from the Stampede.

Watch below: Global’s ongoing coverage of events leading up to the 2016 Calgary Stampede

New midway food at the 2016 Calgary Stampede

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New midway food at the 2016 Calgary Stampede

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Sneak peek at the prizes available in the 2016 Calgary Stampede Lotteries

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Paul Brandt and Jann Arden 2016 Calgary Stampede Parade marshals

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2016 Calgary Stampede canvas auction

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CMLC signs agreement for Calgary Stampede expansion

At Bottlescrew Bill’s Pub, Stuart Allan said corporate bookings are down, and he doesn’t expect companies that have booked to spend like they used to.

“We’re somewhat concerned about that,” said Allan.

“I suspect the corporate bookings that we have, many of them may not be prepared to be quite so freewheeling in their expenses as they have been in the past.”

But he’s still getting ready for what he hopes will be a successful Stampede, banking on more walk-in business from hotels and smaller groups of partiers.

He is looking to double his staff with 35 temporary hires, but despite a jump in Calgary’s unemployment rate from 4.6 per cent in January 2015 to over eight per cent in recent months, he said it’s been hard to find experienced people.

The extra people are needed because he expects about three times the regular business over the two weeks around Stampede.

“There’s absolutely no question that Stampede is hugely important to our overall business,” said Allan. “It's Christmas, Christmas in July.”

Hotels are also banking on a boost from the Stampede after getting hit hard by the drop in corporate bookings.

Dave Kaiser, CEO of the Alberta Hotel & Lodging Association, said on a revenue-per-room measure, Calgary’s hotels are down 25 per cent from last year.

“It’s fallen off dramatically,” said Kaiser. “It’s definitely tough times for hoteliers in Calgary.”

He said in the past, many hotels were fully booked and visitors found it difficult to find a room. This year, travellers will find better rates as hotels hope to bring in some much-needed business during the Stampede, said Kaiser.

“Just from speaking anecdotally with some hoteliers, they’re still optimistic that it’s going to be another strong Stampede week,” said Kaiser.

Connell is also looking for a silver lining amid the gloom, saying local ticket sales are encouraging and the boost in U.S. travellers from the low Canadian dollar will help.

For Connell, who started working at the Stampede more than 30 years ago in security, the event allows Calgary to show what’s it made of, from its cultural diversity to its resilience in tough times.

He said the highlight of his time with the Stampede was when the city rallied in 2013 after the floods to keep the show going.

“I really think it showed the country and it showed the world what can happen when a community gets together,” said Connell.

LONDON – The head of the U.K. Independence Party, Nigel Farage, resigned Monday as party leader, arguing that he’s achieved his political ambition of having Britain leave the European Union.

Farage was instrumental in the campaign to have Britain leave the trading bloc, championing the issue of immigration. A criticized campaign poster featuring thousands of migrants massed at the border alongside the words “Breaking Point,” typified fears that fueled some Brits’ decision to vote for a British exit, or Brexit.

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“The victory for the ‘leave’ side in the referendum means that my political ambition has been achieved,” Farage said. “I came into this struggle from business because I wanted us to be a self-governing nation, not to become a career politician.”

READ MORE: Brexit fallout: What has happened since the EU vote and what is Article 50?

Farage told reporters he would retain his seat in the European Parliament to see out the negotiations for Britain’s exit from the EU following the country’s June 23 vote to leave the bloc. He defended his taunting of other lawmakers in the chamber last week, arguing he wanted Britain’s voice to be heard.

Thank you to all my supporters in @UKIP and beyond. Delighted with the result we fought for so long to achieve. #BrexitBritain

— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) July 4, 2016

Political turmoil has gripped the country since the vote. Prime Minister David Cameron, who campaigned in favour of “remain,” has announced he will resign following the loss. A leadership contest is underway to replace him, but without the early favourite, former London Mayor Boris Johnson. The opposition Labour Party has troubles of its own, with leader Jeremy Corbyn clinging to office despite having lost a no confidence vote by his party’s lawmakers.

“Whilst we will now leave the European Union the terms of our withdrawal are unclear,” Farage said of his decision. “If there is too much backsliding by the government and with the Labour Party detached from many of its voters, then UKIP’s best days may be yet to come.”

Earlier, Britain’s Treasury chief announced plans to cut U.K. corporation tax to less than 15 per cent to encourage companies to invest and ease business concerns about the country’s vote to leave the EU.

READ MORE: Brexit: 5 things to know about what happens next

Treasury chief George Osborne says the cut is meant to underscore that Britain is “still open for business,” despite the referendum result. A cut of about 5 percentage points brings Britain in line with Ireland’s 12.5 per cent rate.

Osborne told the Financial Times it was time to “make the most of the hand we’ve been dealt.” He is urging the Bank of England to use its powers to avoid “a contraction of credit in the economy.”

Some businesses based in London are considering leaving for other cities like Dublin, Amsterdam, Frankfurt or Paris to benefit from the large EU common market.

It’s been over a year since Thompson was shot. No charges have been laid against him so far and an ASIRT investigation in still underway.

“I said a bunch of stupid stuff. I don’t know what I was thinking. All I know I was leaving peacefully and they started following me,” Thompson said. “I tried running. But now it’s time to fight. I didn’t think I’d get shot. I thought four big police officers could’ve overwhelmed me easily. Why didn’t they have tasers?”

Thompson allegedly threatened the officer with a pipe, according to ASIRT, and was shot.

“The police officer exited his vehicle and began following the male. The three recruits also exited the vehicle but followed at a distance. The police officer caught up with the male. There was brief physical contact. We do know that the officer drew his baton which was recovered on scene,” Calgary Police Chief Paul Cook said at the time of the shooting. He was the interim police chief at the time.

Thompson still manages to get out in his wheelchair to the Hillhurst/Sunnyside Flea market where he and his father have sold their wares for many years.

“I exercise and eat well and try to stay positive. It’s hard, right? I wake up in the morning and ask why do I go on? What’s the point of me going on.”

Fellow vendors have been helping Thompson since he was released from the hospital a few months ago.

They are also mourning the recent death of Thompson’s father Don, who passed away in May after spending many months by his son’s bedside while he recovered in the hospital.

“I’d say the bullets killed his dad. That’s what I think,” Al Gibson, a friend of a family, said. “His dad must’ve gone through hell, worrying about if his son is going to live, and how he’s going to live and how am I going to have to take care of him and everything else.”

Gibson says he feels sympathy for both Thompson and the officer who pulled the trigger.

“He’s not the white supremacist that he painted him as. Not at all,” Gibson said.

“My reading on it? It’s just really unfortunate circumstances. My dad was a cop in Hamilton. I feel for both parties. I’m right on the fence, right in the middle on this one,” Gibson said.

“He did admit to saying it was the dumbest thing he ever did. But it doesn’t mean he deserves what he got for it,” Gibson said.

Thompson says his life is lonelier now without his dad, who he lived and worked with. He regrets his actions on that day in March of last year, but wonders how it could have led to his current situation.

“Just the circumstances leading up to it. I might’ve been a little wrong. But this is worse than a life sentence. This is a life sentence of pain and embarrassment. This is forever,” Thompson said.

When Bruce Gao was in high school, he visited an orphanage in China where he saw children huddled together in beds to share body heat.

It was monsoon season, and it was cold. There was heating in the building, but the solar panels meant to provide electricity weren’t installed to their full capacity.

Gao, who is now 22, wondered what he could do about that.

He researched how solar panels should be positioned to soak up the most energy, which he said was “a little daunting” for a high schooler.

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And then, he spoke publicly about his plans to create an app — “I was a big computer programmer,” he said nonchalantly of his time in high school — while at the nationwide Shad program for “exceptional high school students.”

Gao said that experience solidified his decision to actually make the smartphone app, SimplySolar, with a high school classmate. The app is now used in more than 130 countries.

It works using a combination of GPS and the built-in compass in smartphones. Users place their phones on top of the solar panels, and the app shows them when the panels are facing the most effective direction.

Pointing solar panels in the right direction can make them up to 40 per cent more effective, Gao said.

Now Gao is in his second year of medical school at the University of Calgary. He said that what he liked about coding and creating apps was the ability to help people, and he gets the same thing out of medicine.

READ MORE: Alberta junior high school takes science experiments to new heights

The SHAD program, which Gao said convinced him to build the app, is now in its 37th year. The 2016 program begins Monday, and more than 700 high school students will participate.

“One of the things we believe is that you can’t really leave it to chance, that the best and brightest minds are going to develop to their capabilities,” said Teddy Katz, a spokesperson for SHAD.

So through the program, students travel to universities — 12 are participating across the country — where they listen to lectures from prominent university professors and business leaders.

They also work in groups to come up with a business proposal that creates a new product or service to solve a social problem. In the autumn, a winning proposal will be selected.

Last year, students focused on a lack of physical activity in Canadian kids’ lives. The proposal that won was a machine that could be installed in public parks to dispense sporting equipment, like a combination between a library and a vending machine.

This year’s theme has yet to be announced, but the program has already started. One of the students participating is 16-year-old Debbie Dada of Toronto.

Dada said she plans on going into medical research when she’s older. She said that right now, she’s especially interested in how to decrease the infant mortality rates in developing countries.

She got the idea when she was on a field trip for anthropology class, she said. Her teacher mentioned the infant mortality rate in the central African country of Chad. (The latest data puts the rate at about 89 deaths per 1,000 babies born, compared to about 4.5 per 1,000 in Canada.)

“I was just blown away,” Dada said.

Thinking about — and researching — what she could do, she decided that education about sanitary births was key.

“I think it’s important to share that knowledge in an efficient way, where it doesn’t just help a couple people, it helps thousands,” she said.

And she’s also done work at home. She started a program called “Find Your Path,” which brings motivational speakers to schools to help give kids the confidence to aspire for big things.

She said she got her drive from her family — her paternal grandfather didn’t go to school, she said. But her father has a PhD.

Growing up in an environment where she felt like she could accomplish a lot really helped her, she said. And she hopes her experience this summer will help her, too. She’ll be spending the month of July in Thunder Bay, Ont., with the SHAD program.

She said she’s looking forward to learning from people who have already built successful careers in science and technology fields, and also to working with peers who have similar interests.

Canada’s top arm wrestlers descended on Saskatoon this weekend for the sport’s national championships. Roughly 300 athletes were looking to earn themselves a trip to Bulgaria for the world championships in September.

A former Greco-Roman wrestler, Turcotte once came close to winning a national title. Now at the age of 40, he wants to make the most of his second chance to wear the Maple Leaf.

“This is my first nationals. It’s awesome to pull against a lot of the guys that have been pulling for years and national champions,” said Turcotte, who competed in both the masters (40+) and open events.

Members of #TeamSask take a break from competition at the Canadian Arm Wrestling Championships. #gunshow pic.twitter长沙桑拿/hLEiAaDDev

— Ryan Flaherty (@RFlahertyGlobal) July 3, 2016

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Arm wrestling is divided into several classes, from youth to grandmasters (50+), with separate events for men and women. In the open competition, athletes are divided into weight classes as in other combat sports like boxing.

The top two finishers in each age or weight class qualify for a spot on Team Canada.

“There’s some world champions in this room. I’ve been to worlds four or five times and placed top ten in the world,” tournament director Kayne Hemsing said. “At worlds you’re going against Russians, Americans, Brazilians. There’s over 80 countries there.”

READ MORE: Ricky Ray leads Argonauts over the Roughriders 30-17

Wrestlers spend long hours training for matches that often last just a few seconds.

Pride Toronto is denying it has agreed to ban police floats from its parades, saying it has committed only to having a “conversation” about the controversial demand made by Black Lives Matter after the group staged a sit-in that held up Sunday’s march and angered the police union.

While Pride’s executive director signed the list of nine demands and ended the 30-minute protest, co-chair Aaron GlynWilliams said Monday nothing was actually agreed upon and that the signing was done to get the parade moving again.

GlynWilliams said Pride organizers will now turn to discussing the demands internally and with police and Black Lives Matter Toronto.

“We’ll continue that conversation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rodney Diverlus with Black Lives Matter has indicated the demand concerning police —; the “removal of all police floats/booths in all Pride marches/parades/community spaces” —; is open to negotiation.

Black Lives Matter sees the proposed ban as strictly for police parading in uniform, while the group is open to LGBTQ officers participating out of uniform, the co-founder told Global News.

The idea of barring police led one openly gay officer to pen a public letter decrying the proposal as discriminatory.

“Basically the letter was about —; this was my first pride, and it was very powerful for me to see the police and how many officers were marching. I didn’t expect that and basically it was a display of how much we are supported, how much LGBTQ officers are supported,” Const. Chuck Krangle told Global News.

“Removing the floats and us from the parade … we’re part of the community. It’s not just about the police being part of the community, it’s about the police accepting their own.”

When asked whether he would attend next year’s parade if police in uniform are banned from floats, Krangle said that “Uniformed officers are LGBTQ, are part of the community as well.”

Krangle, who was not speaking for the force, said he wasn’t commenting on Black Lives Matter, though his letter was addressed to Pride Toronto over its perceived agreement with the protest group’s police float demand.

“Police officers are significantly represented in the LGBTQ community and it would be unacceptable to alienate and discriminate against them and those who support them. They too struggled to gain a place and workplace free from discrimination and bias,” wrote Krangle.

“Exclusion does not promote inclusion.”

Black Lives Matter’s list of demands also includes calls for greater space and funding for black queer youth, better representation of black LGBTQ in the event’s organization and a townhall with Pride for marginalized communities.

Police and Black Lives Matter have been at constant odds over the practice of carding, which disproportionately targets black youth, and the recent shooting deaths of black men in Toronto like Andrew Loku and Jermaine Carby.

Diverlus said “carding happens to LGBT black folks as well,” and defended the protest tactic.

“So folks might think this tactic is a bit too divisive or a bit out there, I just challenge them to think of which side of history they will be in 20 years and how they think of black inclusion within LGBT spaces,” he said.